Villas-Boas reveals Dakar dream
Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has revealed he dreams of entering the Dakar Rally.
Villas-Boas gave an insight into his life away from football on Friday, admitting he was a petrol head who loved nothing better than racing motorbikes and cars in his spare time. Indeed, the 33-year-old - who arrived at Stamford Bridge this summer with a reputation for being obsessed by football - appears to be just as passionate about motor sport.
"I have a couple of bikes from the Dakar Rally that I own," he said, revealing he would love to enter the famous race before admitting: "It's expensive."
He owns five motorbikes and is part-owner of a collection 12 cars, including some genuine classics. Villas-Boas - who will see the vehicles when he returns to his native Portugal during next week's international break - does not just sit there and admire them either.
He added: "I'm a bit of a crazy head with enduro bikes as well, so I go into the mountains and almost kill myself! It feels fantastic. It's my escape, it's my passion and you feel well. You feel the need for it. It is very adrenaline-fuelled.
"All of us have our passions and we respond to it in different ways."
Most top footballers are forbidden from riding motorcycles but Villas-Boas never played professionally.
"The manager escapes!" he joked, before admitting he had seriously injured himself more than once. "My first bike was a 350. I started straight away with a heavy engine. I went into a national competition in Portugal and then broke my arm. This was in a period when I was coaching Porto's youth team."
Villas-Boas, who this week found himself branded 'chippy' in some quarters for his defensive response to questions about Frank Lampard's Chelsea future, admitted it was important for him to take a break from the pressures of day-to-day management whenever the opportunity arose.
"It's a very strenuous position but there's an acceptance that you have to take it and it comes with the job," he said. "The international break is always a good time for us to go back to our passions and to our family a little bit more. So, I'm looking forward to the international breaks."
